Teachers accused of ignoring homophobic bullying

TEACHERS in some schools are ignoring bullying of gay and lesbian students, even when they hear name-calling in the classroom, it has been claimed.

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education heard that homophobic bullying needs to be tackled through the Department of Education instructing schools to include specific mention of it in their anti-bullying policies.

In a joint submission by GLEN (Gay and Lesbian Equality network) and the BeLonG To youth service, the committee heard there was a documented link between bullying suffered by gay and lesbian teenagers and self-harm and suicide.